I was standing in my kitchen yesterday, cooking this beef stroganoff recipe that I got out of Real Simple Magazine and secured safely in my new Recipe Book (thanks Santa Mom!), and an overwhelming feeling of contentment whooshed over me.
The thing about New Years is that no matter how much you love or hate resolutions and such, it's definitely the time of year where you both reflect back and look forward, and as if you can't even help yourself, new goals are made and old ones are checked off.
Last year was simply, truly, definitively amazing. I celebrated a year of pure bliss with Matty on the same day he asked me for the rest of my years and put a beautiful pink couldn't-be-more-made-for-Stefanie ring on my finger. I travelled to places I had never been - Maine, the Cape, Martha's Vineyard, Chicago - and places I had - Reno, New York, San Francisco. I managed to celebrate a whole year at one job (!) while continuing to progress and move forward in my career goals (which should pay off any day now, but that's a whole other post). I deepened my volunteer life by being accepted into the Civic Leadership Institute, taking on new volunteer projects to lead, and signing up for another trip to New Orleans. I got back into a great workout schedule and found some things I really love to do that make me feel good, including yoga and weight training. I became a better cook and a better baker. I learned how to drink whiskey without making that one face people make when they drink whiskey. I made new friends, stayed close to old ones, and let some friendships run their course. I became a real, confirmed, baptised Catholic and gave back to the Church by becoming a Lector and starting a socializing/volunteering group with other young Catholics. But really I became more and more me.
I realized that for all the goals I have set, and all the dreams and prayers I have put out there, all the wishing and hoping I have done, I have my answer. This isn't to say that there aren't struggles in my life and that there aren't terrible days and bad things and sadness, but I know that at the end of the day I am so completely and utterly blessed, that I can handle all of that, no problem, and I can even do it with a smile.
So, back to my original thought, my favorite part of the day, it happens when I hear the keys in the front door, that split second when the connection between that sound and the next second clicks - "Matty is home!" says my brain, "hugs and kisses and dinner time and conversation and, Matty!" it says. I really, really love that moment in my day, when that whoosh of happiness and excitement hits me, as though it was our first date or the morning he asked me to marry him, that absolute smile in my heart. Yeah, I really love that part of my day.
Here's hoping your New Years has lots of those moments too!
XoXo
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